In the competitive world of online business, content marketing has become a crucial strategy for growth and success. One company that has masterfully wielded this tool is BestSelf Co, transforming from a Kickstarter sensation to a multi-million dollar enterprise. At the heart of their meteoric rise lies a powerful content syndication strategy that propelled their brand to new heights.
The BestSelf Co Success Story
Founded by Cathryn Lavery and Allen Brouwer, BestSelf Co started with a simple yet powerful product: the Self Journal. This productivity tool resonated with entrepreneurs and professionals, leading to a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $320,000. But the founders knew that sustaining this initial momentum would require more than just a great product – they needed a robust marketing strategy.
Understanding Content Syndication
Before diving into BestSelf Co's specific tactics, it's essential to understand what content syndication entails. Content syndication is the process of republishing original content on third-party websites or platforms to reach a broader audience. This strategy can take various forms:
- Republishing blog posts on platforms like Medium
- Sharing content in relevant online communities (Facebook groups, Reddit, forums)
- Guest posting on industry-related blogs
- Syndicating content to news sites or content aggregators
The primary goal is to expand reach by tapping into existing audiences where potential customers already congregate.
BestSelf Co's Content Syndication Blueprint
1. Creating High-Value, Epic Content
At the core of BestSelf Co's strategy was the creation of in-depth, high-quality content focused on productivity, goal-setting, and personal development. They prioritized long-form articles, often exceeding 3,000 words, that provided actionable insights and strategies to their readers.
Examples of their epic content included:
- Comprehensive guides to maximizing productivity
- Detailed breakdowns of effective morning routines
- In-depth explorations of habit formation techniques
- Step-by-step goal-setting frameworks
By consistently producing valuable content, BestSelf Co positioned itself as an authority in the personal development space, building trust with their audience.
2. Developing Irresistible Content Upgrades
For each piece of cornerstone content, BestSelf Co created supplementary resources known as "content upgrades." These additional materials were offered in exchange for the reader's email address, serving as a powerful lead generation tool.
For instance, an article on morning routines might be accompanied by a downloadable PDF featuring the morning rituals of 29 successful entrepreneurs. This strategy not only provided extra value to readers but also allowed BestSelf Co to grow their email list rapidly.
3. Strategic Content Syndication
With a library of valuable content and lead magnets in place, BestSelf Co focused on syndicating their material across multiple platforms:
- Medium: They republished full articles, taking advantage of Medium's built-in audience.
- Facebook Groups: Sharing content in relevant groups allowed them to tap into existing communities of entrepreneurs and productivity enthusiasts.
- Reddit: By participating in subreddits focused on productivity and self-improvement, they could share their insights with a highly engaged audience.
- Industry Forums: Niche forums provided another avenue to reach their target market.
- News Sites: Syndicating content to relevant news outlets expanded their reach even further.
Crucially, BestSelf Co didn't simply copy and paste their content across these platforms. They took the time to customize their messaging for each audience, writing unique introductions and adapting their content to fit the norms of each community.
4. Targeted Giveaways
To accelerate their email list growth, BestSelf Co implemented strategic giveaways. These contests offered productivity-focused prize packages that appealed directly to their target audience. By promoting these giveaways across their syndicated content channels, they were able to drive significant opt-ins from highly qualified leads.
5. Authentic Community Engagement
Rather than treating online communities as mere distribution channels, BestSelf Co focused on becoming valuable members of these spaces. They actively participated in discussions, offered advice, and built relationships with other members before promoting their own content.
This approach allowed them to establish credibility and trust within key communities, making their occasional self-promotion more welcome and effective.
6. Lead Nurturing and Conversion
Throughout their content syndication efforts, BestSelf Co maintained a laser focus on capturing email addresses through content upgrades and giveaways. But their strategy didn't stop there – they developed sophisticated email nurture sequences to continue providing value to subscribers and guide them towards product purchases.
Key Lessons from BestSelf Co's Approach
1. Quality Over Quantity
BestSelf Co's success demonstrates the power of focusing on creating truly valuable, in-depth content rather than churning out a high volume of mediocre articles. By investing time and resources into comprehensive guides and resources, they were able to establish themselves as thought leaders in their niche.
2. Platform-Specific Customization
The company's approach to tailoring content for each platform shows the importance of understanding the unique characteristics and expectations of different online communities. This customization helped their content resonate more effectively with each audience.
3. Relationship Building
BestSelf Co's emphasis on genuine engagement within online communities highlights the value of building relationships before promoting content. This approach helped them avoid being seen as spammers and instead positioned them as valuable community members.
4. Strategic Lead Capture
By creating content upgrades and running targeted giveaways, BestSelf Co was able to convert their expanded reach into tangible business assets – email subscribers. This strategy allowed them to continue nurturing relationships with potential customers over time.
5. Focused Platform Selection
Rather than trying to be everywhere at once, BestSelf Co concentrated their efforts on platforms where their target audience of entrepreneurs and professionals was most active. This focused approach allowed them to maximize the impact of their content syndication efforts.
Implementing Your Own Content Syndication Strategy
Inspired by BestSelf Co's success? Here's a step-by-step guide to implementing a content syndication strategy for your business:
Create Cornerstone Content: Develop 3-5 pieces of in-depth, valuable content (3000+ words) that showcase your expertise.
Develop Content Upgrades: For each piece of cornerstone content, create 1-2 supplementary resources (checklists, templates, etc.) that readers can access by providing their email address.
Identify Key Syndication Channels: Research where your target audience spends time online. Look for relevant Facebook groups, subreddits, forums, and industry news sites.
Customize Content for Each Channel: Adapt your content to fit the norms and expectations of each platform. Write unique introductions and follow community guidelines.
Engage Authentically: Spend time genuinely participating in online communities before promoting your content. Focus on adding value and building relationships.
Promote Strategically: Once you've established yourself in a community, begin sharing your content. Continue to engage beyond just dropping links.
Capture Leads: Use content upgrades and targeted giveaways to collect email addresses from readers of your syndicated content.
Nurture and Convert: Develop an email nurture sequence to continue providing value to subscribers and eventually promote your products or services.
Analyze and Optimize: Track which syndication channels drive the most traffic and email signups. Double down on what's working and adjust or eliminate underperforming strategies.
Real-World Examples of Effective Content Syndication
To further illustrate these concepts, let's examine some successful content syndication strategies from other businesses:
Ramit Sethi (I Will Teach You To Be Rich): Regularly syndicates content through guest posts on major publications like Business Insider and Fortune, expanding his reach to new audiences.
Buffer: Republishes blog content on Medium, customizing it slightly and using Medium's import tool to avoid duplicate content issues.
Mari Smith: The social media expert actively participates in Facebook marketing groups, sharing valuable content and advice to establish herself as a go-to authority.
Nomad List: The founder is a regular, helpful participant in digital nomad and remote work subreddits, building authority and driving traffic to his site.
HubSpot: Partners with other companies in the marketing space to co-create and cross-promote content, tapping into each other's audiences.
Avoiding Common Content Syndication Pitfalls
While content syndication can be highly effective, there are several common mistakes to watch out for:
Duplicate Content Issues: Republishing identical content across multiple sites can create SEO problems. Use canonical tags or modify content slightly to avoid this.
Spammy Promotion: Don't simply drop links without adding value. Focus on genuine engagement and relationship building.
Neglecting Your Own Platform: While syndication is important, continue to publish original content on your own website as well.
Ignoring Community Guidelines: Familiarize yourself with the rules of each community you syndicate to and follow them carefully.
Lack of Consistency: Content syndication requires ongoing effort. Create a sustainable schedule that you can maintain over time.
The Future of Content Syndication
As we look ahead, several trends are likely to shape the future of content syndication:
Rise of Niche Platforms: We may see the emergence of more specialized, industry-specific syndication platforms.
AI-Powered Personalization: Artificial intelligence tools could enable greater customization of syndicated content for different audiences.
Increased Focus on Video: As platforms prioritize video content, video syndication is likely to become increasingly important.
Tighter Platform Restrictions: Some platforms may implement stricter rules around syndicated content to combat spam and maintain quality.
Cross-Platform Analytics: We can expect to see more sophisticated tools for tracking content performance across multiple syndication channels.
Conclusion: The Power of Strategic Content Syndication
BestSelf Co's journey from Kickstarter success to multi-million dollar business underscores the transformative potential of a well-executed content syndication strategy. By creating valuable content, strategically distributing it across platforms, and focusing on building genuine relationships with their audience, they were able to rapidly expand their reach and drive substantial product sales.
While the specific tactics that worked for BestSelf Co may not be a perfect fit for every business, the core principles of their approach are widely applicable:
- Prioritize the creation of truly valuable, in-depth content
- Customize your approach for each platform and community
- Engage authentically and build relationships
- Use content upgrades and targeted offers to capture leads
- Nurture your audience and guide them towards conversion
By adapting these fundamentals to your unique business and target audience, you can harness the power of content syndication to dramatically expand your reach, build your brand authority, and drive sustainable growth.
Remember, effective content syndication is not about short-term gains or quick wins. It's about playing the long game – consistently providing value, building relationships, and establishing your brand as a trusted authority in your niche. With persistence, strategic thinking, and a commitment to quality, content syndication can become a powerful engine for traffic, leads, and sales, propelling your business to new heights of success.
